The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Yogiselexe2x80x99.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Salinas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, and excellent postproduction longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventors in October, 1994, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-6364, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-6075, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, and excellent postproduction longevity. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in ray floret coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in June, 1997. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yogisele has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yogiselexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yogiselexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Upright and uniformly rounded plant habit.
2. Very freely branching habit, full and dense plants.
3. Dark green foliage.
4. Uniform flowering response.
5. Typically grown as a natural spray-type.
6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.
7. Very freely flowering.
8. Small daisy-type inflorescences that are about 3.6 cm in diameter.
9. Red ray florets and bright yellow disc florets.
10. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three to four weeks in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Bronze Cherie, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,702. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Bronze Cherie in the following characteristics:
l. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are much larger and more vigorous than plants of the cultivar Bronze Cherie.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Bronze Cherie.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about 2 to 3 days earlier than plants of the cultivar Bronze Cherie
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Bronze Cherie.
5. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum is red whereas ray floret color of the cultivar Bronze Cherie is bronze.
6. Inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum do not produce pollen whereas inflorescences of the cultivar Bronze Cherie produce abundant pollen.